Author's Note: Hello, readers! Welcome back to Raise Me Up! We are on Chapter 4, and Tony finally takes Peter under his care and takes him home. I really hope you all like this one! Thank you so much for the support you've given so far, and I really hope you like what comes next! But before we get to the chapter, we got some REVIEW REPLIES!
SilverWolf227: Yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I really hope you continue to like what's next!
Wolftatoo: Thank you so much! And yes, I really hope you like it! Lol, we'll have to wait and see! I've actually considered bringing Harley in briefly, but I have to make sure it fits. I hope you continue to like what's next!
Guest: We'll have to wait and see what happens!
Konoewpl: Yes, very good! I hope you like the next chapter!
xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Yeah, poor Peter, but don't worry! Iron Dad will help him!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chapter 4
It honestly felt like an eternity listening to Dr. Bailey and Dr. Becker talk to Tony and the social worker. For some reason, they stayed in the same room they put May in, but Peter couldn't bring himself to mind it because it was going to be painful when they would eventually have to leave. Peter watched his mentor sign his release papers before he handed them back to the doctor and took the prescription for Peter's pain medication. After a few more minutes, Tony shook hands and thanked the doctors and the social worker before they turned to Peter giving him their condolences, and Peter managed to snap out of his fog long enough to thank them before they finally left him and Tony alone with May as the social worker mentioned something about a meeting tomorrow.
As soon as they were alone, Tony turned to Peter crouching down next to him clutching his arm. "Whenever you're ready, kid," he said quietly. "You call the shots here."
"I feel like leaving will just…" Peter replied looking at his aunt's still body, "make it more real."
Tony sighed as he rubbed Peter's arm. "I know, buddy," he said, "but you take as long as you need, okay?"
The rookie superhero nodded as he kept his eyes on May. A part of him wanted to wait and see if maybe she would suddenly wake up and take him home, but the logical part of him knew that wasn't going to happen. She was gone. She was dead and never going to come back. Tears formed in his eyes again with that thought in his head. As much as he hated crying in front of Tony Stark, he simply bowed his head letting the tears flow freely down his cheeks. He didn't even try to wipe them away as he reached forward and grabbed May's hand as Tony rubbed his back.
"I'm sorry, Aunt May," Peter finally whispered to her. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to save you. I should've. Please forgive me."
Tony wanted to stop him right there to tell him that it wasn't his fault. He knew that even before the social worker told him what happened in the accident, but he decided to let Peter finish. These were his last moments with his aunt…the woman who raised him all those years, and he couldn't ruin that for Peter right now.
"I love you so much, May," Peter finally spoke up after a moment. "I wish you didn't leave me so soon, but…I know you're with Uncle Ben…and Mom…and Dad. I larb you, Aunt May, and I promise, I'll never forget you…never. I'm going to miss you so much." He leaned forward without any second thought and kissed her forehead. "I love you, May."
After another moment of silence, he finally leaned back to face Tony. "Okay, I-I'm ready," he said with tears.
Tony nodded and stood up helping Peter to his feet. As soon as his mentee was on his feet, he wrapped an arm around him as he took one last look at May mentally promising her—if she could hear it—to take care of her nephew. With that, he slowly guided Peter out of the room. He could tell that the doctor wanted to move her body to the morgue, and he wasted no time in getting Peter out of the room before he could see it. Tony himself went through that experience alone when his parents died, and he did not wish for Peter to go through the same thing.
He moved with Peter by his side quickly through the hallway all the way to the elevator. The rookie superhero was clearly not in the mindset to ask any questions or to engage in conversation, and Tony didn't dare force him. He remembered being the same way with Obidiah when his parents died all those years ago.
"Happy's waiting for us in the car," Tony whispered to Peter once they were alone in an elevator. "We'll go back to your place and grab a few things, okay? And then we'll head back to the tower?"
Peter could only nod in reply, which Tony expected.
The billionaire rubbed his arm holding him close by his side. For once, he didn't know what else to say, but he couldn't help but feel that maybe the silence was enough for the time being. He didn't try to reassure Peter at this moment. How could he? The kid's aunt…his last living relative was suddenly taken away from him in the span of a few hours, and now, he was suddenly placed under someone else's responsibility. Granted, Peter didn't know that yet, but Tony prayed that Peter would be able to handle the news when they were to talk tomorrow morning.
The billionaire refused to think about it now. That was for tomorrow. For now, he needed to get Peter to the car and to get the bare essentials for him to take back to the tower. It felt like an eternity before the elevator doors opened on the main floor of the hospital.
"Come on, kid," Tony whispered to Peter keeping him close. "Happy's right out front."
"Okay, Mr. Stark," Peter replied with little emotion in his voice.
Peter felt as if he was watching himself going through the motions. He wasn't sure whether or not he was going to pass out on Tony, and he couldn't bring himself to care. He could only watch his feet move next to Tony's until he suddenly realized that they finally made it outside, and sure enough, there was a flashy Audi right outside the building. Tony then quickly grabbed the door opening it and gently ushering Peter inside before following him inside.
The billionaire and the teenager saw Happy looking at him in the rearview mirror. However, the head of security didn't dare say anything to Peter, but Peter could see that he was silently offering his condolences. Although he appreciated it, he couldn't bring himself other than nod his head.
"Where to, boss?" Happy asked.
"Take us to the apartment, Hap," Tony replied wrapping an arm around Peter holding him close. "We got to grab some of Peter's things."
Happy nodded and wasted no time in turning the car back on and driving away from the hospital.
Peter could only stare off into space. His eyes were burning and puffy from how much he cried, and his body felt as if it was 100 pounds and shaking. The low rumble of the car moving was somehow able to relax him somehow as he slowly sat back in the seat. He briefly acknowledged that the clock in the car read 2:30 AM. He and May got into that car accident around 11:30 and midnight, but to Peter, it felt longer than that. The teen's eyelids grew heavier as he leaned back against the seat and slowly slid to the right, and immediately, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tony's knee and jolted back up.
"S-Sorry, Mr. Stark…" he said meekly.
"Kid, come on," Tony said moving his arm up extending it. "We've known each other for almost a year now. I think that warrants you being able to catch home shut-eye on me. Come on, I don't bite."
The teen wanted to chuckle and refuse…to try his hardest to stay upright and awake, but sleep kept pulling at him…calling him. His tired body's needs outweighed his need to maintain a sense of pride, and with that in mind, he slowly inched toward Tony until he was leaning against the billionaire's side as said billionaire loosely wrapped an arm around the kid's shoulders.
"Get some sleep, Pete," Tony whispered. "I'll wake you up when we get to the apartment."
Peter nodded and slowly allowed sleep to overtake him.
Next thing he knew, Peter found himself in the elevator going up to his apartment with Tony beside him. When they arrived, Tony had initially offered to have Happy go grab his things, but he politely refused insisting that he knew where everything was in his room. However, he did ask Tony to come up with him silently telling his mentor that he didn't want to go up to the apartment alone, and thankfully, Tony didn't make him say it aloud. So, the mentor and mentee made their way through the hallway. It was late at night, so people were asleep and weren't around to question why Tony Stark was in the hallway going to an apartment with Peter Parker in the wee hours of the morning. Yes, Tony visited Peter and May a few times, but it was during reasonable hours and when May was around.
As soon as Peter and Tony finally got to the door to the Parker apartment, Peter didn't say anything as he took out his keys and unlocked the door. He wasn't sure what he expected when he walked into the apartment, but he saw that it was completely empty. A part of him was expecting May to come out of her room ready to lecture him for walking in so late, but then he remembered…she wasn't going to be here…she was never going to be. May was gone…dead.
Tears came to his eyes again at that thought, and the pain opened up that void in his heart even more. He wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen to him now, but he couldn't bring himself to care about that…at least not now. All he knew was that he probably wasn't coming back to this apartment for a while, and May wasn't either.
"You can just pack a few things for tonight and tomorrow, kid," Tony said jolting him out of his thoughts. "We'll worry about everything else later."
Peter didn't dare to reply afraid that he would burst out crying. Without saying another word, he walked into his room closing the door behind him, and as soon as he closed the door, the teen plopped on his bed face first in his pillow sobbing. His aunt was gone for a few hours…after they had just gone out for a movie night, and his life was already turning upside down. It was bad enough that he had to now live with the fact that he just lost another relative, who had been there for him through thick and thin, but he had no clue what Tony planned to do with him. Was he going to pull him out of school and make him work? Was he going to ship him off somewhere? Was he going to just send him into the system after all? However, the small logical part of him made him realize that Tony wouldn't have offered to take him home if that was the case, but then again, who could say for sure? With that thought, he let out another sob.
Little did he know that Tony actually perked at the sound of his sobs from the living room, and he slowly walked over to the door he saw the teen walk through and close behind him. He didn't dare to follow Peter afraid of possibly overwhelming the kid, but the minute he heard the boy crying, he stood up from the couch and came up to the door. His hand went to the doorknob but stopped in mid-air. He had told Peter that they had known each other and had gotten closer over the last 10 months, and they had gone through a lot together. However, none of that ever prepared Tony for somehow comforting this teen he took under his wing when he had just lost a loved one. What could he possibly say…or do? His mentee lost his aunt. What was there to say? Would Peter accept whatever he tried to do to help him or turn him away?
Tony sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair.
"This is ridiculous," he thought to himself.
He was Tony Stark…Iron Man! Comforting a teenager he knew should've come easy to him, especially someone like Peter Parker when they knew each other as long as they did. He flew a missile into a wormhole above New York. He faced Ultron with the other Avengers. This situation was simple on a much larger scale. Still, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Pete?"
Peter immediately stopped sobbing when he heard his mentor on the other side of the door.
"Pete, can I come in?"
"Uhh…" Peter said as he quickly sat up wiping the tears off his face, "y-yeah…yeah, Mr. Stark, come in." He quickly grabbed a suitcase from under his bed, and he noted the BFP engraved on the blue suitcase as Tony opened the door and walked in. "Sorry, I'm packing. I'm just trying to figure out what I need, you know? I mean I—"
"Kid," Tony said cutting him off as he sat down next to his protégé on the bed, "I heard you crying in here."
Peter was about to respond but stopped before he could say anything else as a blush crept onto his face. He hadn't meant for Tony to hear him crying. "I-I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"You don't have anything to be sorry about," Tony said as he placed a hand on Peter's back rubbing it. "You've had a long day, and you're upset, exhausted…"
"All of the above," Peter interjected.
"Plus, I have no idea what you plan to do with me…" he added mentally.
"Listen, Pete," Tony finally said after a moment of silence, "if you want, I can pack your stuff for you. You can just tell me what you need."
Peter sighed as much as he would love to just let someone else do the packing for him, he hated the idea of coming across as this helpless little kid in front of Tony. He had to push down the grief and save it for later…for a different time. "No…no, it's okay really," he finally said. "I can do it, but…can you…can you sit in here with me?" Maybe if he had Tony in the room with him, then Peter could focus on getting his things together.
Tony clearly thought the same and nodded.
With that, Peter fished out some clothes from his dresser and closet. He wasn't sure how long he was going to stay with Tony, so he packed enough necessities for at least a few days. Tony didn't say anything, which meant he was keeping his word as to them saving the talking for the morning, and Peter didn't bother to ask.
"Here you go, kid," Tony said as he opened the door to the guest room allowing Peter to walk in with his suitcase.
He, Peter, and Happy had just returned to the penthouse on the top floor of Avengers Tower, and Tony immediately guided Peter to the guest room. This was not new to either Peter or Tony. Peter had stayed over for a few weekends with Tony whenever May went away, and he stayed in the guest room.
However, with that very thought, Peter came to that same realization that was repeating again and again ever since the hospital. May wasn't coming back from a trip. She was dead…and never coming back, and Peter had no idea how long he was going to be staying with Tony. However, for the time being, as soon as Peter laid his eyes on the queen-sized bed in the room, he wanted nothing more than to get some sleep. He even could see that it was 3:30 AM on the digital clock on the nightstand.
"Thanks, Mr. Stark," Peter said turning to the billionaire.
Tony smiled somewhat and wrapped an arm around Peter. "Get some sleep, kid," he said gently. "We'll talk in the morning when I come back from the meeting, okay?"
"Okay," Peter replied nodding.
"And if you need anything during the night," Tony added, "you know the drill: have FRIDAY get me."
Peter gave another small smile to the billionaire. "Noted, Mr. Stark," he said.
They wished each other good night, and Tony left his mentee alone to go to bed himself. Peter wasted no time in putting his pajamas on and getting ready to sleep in the big, comfy bed. The weight of his grief ached throughout his body as he constantly reminded himself that May was gone…for good, but he ran out of tears to cry for the night and just wanted to sleep…even though doing so would make this nightmare all the more real.
The teen superhero climbed into his bed and let sleep immediately take over subduing his doubt and grief running through his body.
Author's Note: Annnnnnd that's all for Chapter 4! I hope you liked it! Thank you again for the support you've all been giving this story and for the nice reviews! I really hope you continue to like what's next! I'll see you in the next chapter! I'll try to keep to a Tuesday and/or Friday update schedule! Thanks again, guys!
